


When The Day Met The Night

by awildlibby



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), swan queen - Fandom
Genre: AU, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 19:51:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4362017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awildlibby/pseuds/awildlibby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU based on a prompt I thought of whilst listening to 'When the day met the night' by Panic! at the disco. <br/>Emma's luck is scarce, but with her 8 year old son Henry, she always finds ways to pull through, with smiles on her face, even on the toughest days. <br/>Regina has always had the best luck, but can having everything equate to happiness? Apparently not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any Once Upon A Time characters or songs in this fic.  
> I'm also not American, so if I get anything wrong in this then please don't hesitate to tell me and I'll change it.   
> This is my first ever try at writing Swan Queen so if its crap then please tell me so I know how to improve.

Emma's day could have gone better, to say the least. It started when her alarm clock decided to run out of batteries over night. Emma was aware that they needed replacing, but held it off as unnecessary for too long. Her late start meant her 8 year old son, Henry, was late for school and consequently, she was late for work. She pulled her polo over her head as quickly as possible, before yanking on yesterdays leggings and throwing her hair into a messy ponytail. She darted into her sons room, pulling open the curtains and yanking him from under the sheets. His audible groans as she attempted to pry him from his bears and up, ready for preschool reminded her of her already lethargic state. 

"Come on Henry!" She groaned, tickling his toes till he threw his hands in the air in defense. 

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" His eyes darted to the clock sat proudly on his wall - which he had insisted got put there as soon as he learned to tell the time - and his expression showed that of panic. "Mom! Why didn't you get me up earlier? It's 8 o'clock!"

"I know, I'm sorry. My alarm broke. We'll make it." She stole a glance at the clock. "What time do you start school again?" 

His back was already turned as he pulled on an old shirt and jeans from his closet. 

"Kid" Emma tried to get his attention. 

"What? I'm in a bit of a hurry." He huffed.

"Watch your tone young man. Your not too old for me to sling you over my knee you know." She sighed a shaky breath "I asked what time you started school"

"Half past 8" He rushed, stalking past Emma into the kitchen. "Hey, I missed the bus. Can I catch a lift? I won't make it otherwise." She nodded tiredly, and he smiled at her, before climbing into the yellow bug and strapping in. She followed his lead, stuffing his book he left on the counter in his backpack and handing him it over the console.

Once they arrived, Emma rushed her usually loving sounding dialogue, whilst stuffing a 20$ note into his hand.

"Lunch money. I expect change. Be good, have fun. I love you, remember your going to Lacey's after school 'cause I'm running a late shift. I'll see you later kid."

He smiled, leaning over the console to hug his mom. "Love you too mom. See you later." His kissed her cheek before diving out the door and meeting with a handful of his friends by the gate. She smiled, slightly watery, at his disappearing form as he ran in at the sound of the bell, but then remembered the mission at hand. She didn't have time to reminisce at how her son was a baby, chewing everything in sight, seemingly yesterday. Her hand shifted the gear on autopilot as she headed to work, sleep quickly threatening to catch up with her. 

When she finally reached the local diner, 25 minutes late, she sighed sorrowfully. As she clocked in, an angry red L appeared beside the 2 others in the top right hand corner. Her sighs became more audible as she was called into her bosses office. She didn't even listen to what he had to say. As soon as she walked in, she raised her hand in defeat.

"I'll go empty my locker" she murmured before solemnly walking out. The cap she had yet to put on was hanging limply in her hand, and her mind started racing with scenarios on what she was going to do. She was struggling already, and she had promised Henry a vacation of some kind for his birthday. She had yet to work out a plan for that. Her huffs were probably audible half way down the street, but she didn't care. She was allowed to be miserable. 

The first thing she did when she arrived home was look over her CV. It was years old, probably older than Henry, and was terribly incorrect. She fixed it up quickly, before printing 25 copies and stuffing them in her bag. Job hunting it was. She abandoned her car at home, trekking down the street and stopping at every business she passed. Before she knew it, it was 2:30. She headed home, hoping to catch Henry and take him to the park for a kick around. It was simple things like this that kept them so close. They didn't have a lot of money, both of them were aware of that, judging by the size of their home and the lack of elaborate vacations they went on. Henry didn't seem to mind, content with what little they had. Emma was grateful of this. He wasn't spoiled, she had found, and it always made her proud when she caught the conversations he had with his friends. They would boast, either about their new toys or a vacation they were going on this summer. But Henry would stick his chin in the air and join in, boasting that he and his mom were going to the park, then grabbing a McDonalds on the way home. He was humble with what he had, and, although she wished she could provide for him a little more, he held his head that bit higher, and got even more exited about the easiest and simplest things, like a drive across town to visit Lacey, or a visit to the animal shelter to coo at the animals. 

Emma drove quickly to Henry's school, grabbing him a milkshake on the way there with some change she found in her pocket. She spotted him as he started to walk towards the bus, but detoured when he saw the little yellow bug waiting for him. His smile grew as he climbed in the care, and stretched even wider when Emma handed him his strawberry milkshake. 

"Thanks mom!" He exclaimed as Emma ruffled his hair. She gestured to let her have a sip, and he held the straw up to her mouth. 

"So, mom, I thought you were working late tonight." His smile faltered when Emma stayed in silence. "Mom?"

"I lost the job Henry. Too many lates. Don't worry though" She quickly added at his worried expression. "I've been hunting all day. How about we head to the park?"

He nodded minutely, before strapping in and sitting silent for the rest of the trip.

\-------

Regina always found, after a long day at work, there was nothing better than to retreat to the park, in her favourite spot under the apple tree, and sip tea whilst reading a book. Her favourite pass time. Obviously she got the odd disturbance, but it was nothing compared to if she tried to read at home. It doubled as her out of hours emergency office, and she had people showing up after hours, without the aspect of emergency. At least in the park she could escape work, even if it was just for a little while.

Her current read was a revisit of Jane Eyre, a classic she had loved since she was a child. The warm mid afternoon air surrounded her, as she sheltered from the beating rays under the tree she had claimed as a child to be her favourite. With her back against the rough bark, she pulled her legs to her chest and opened her dog-eared page. She was always scolded growing up for doing that, but she couldn't deal with the hassle of bookmarks. She was just about to enter the next chapter when her tea was knocked into her chest, staining her pristine white blouse and burning the flesh underneath. At first she was confused, before she heard a ball bouncing away and spotted a young boy and presumably his mother, jogging towards her. 

She pulled a shocked face, putting down both her tea and her book before tugging at the damp areas on her blouse as they clung to her skin. She saw the duo near, yet wathed as the boy made a detour at last minute and darted for his ball. Typical kids.

"Oh my God I am so so so sorry! We honestly didn't mean for it to fly all the way over here."

"Impressive kick" Regina mumbled back, before stumbling to her feet, still clutching the damp fabric of her shirt. 

"Thanks." Emma smirked for a moment before remembering the task in hand. "Oh, uh, I have a shirt in my trunk if you'd like it. I mean, it's nothing special but its the least I can do. I feel so bad. I am so sorry."

Before Regina could respond, the young boy emerged at his mothers side, sweat lining his forehead and dirt crusting his fingernails. When he noticed the situation, he began a ramble of apologies much like his parent. Regina held up a hand to silence him.

"I'm fine, honestly. Just a bit sticky thats all. Did you say you had a spare shirt? Do you mind if I borrow it?"

"Oh, no, not at all. Here, I'll go get it. Henry, wait here." She jogged away towards the carpark, and Regina was left with a more than awkward 8 year old boy. He lifted his ball hopefully.

"Wanna play?"

\----------

Emma's smile refused to falter, even as she headed towards her car. The way Regina's echoing laughter swam through the air towards her made her heart warm, and Henry's equally loud giggles mingled in the mix, only stretching the smile further. As Emma returned, a thin sweater over her arm, she stopped and watched the game of penalty shoot-out the pair were playing. Henry's small frame was guarding the space between two winding oak trees. His hands were outstretched as he swayed side to side, ready to catch the ball. Regina kicked, high and proud, but Henry dived, hugging the ball to his chest before barreling into the side of a tree. His face suddenly wiped his smile, as he dropped his ball and clutched his nose in pain. Emma sped up her walk, but stopped panicking when she noted Regina taking care of him. She pulled a tissue from her purse and carefully wiped the small amount of blood that had pooled on his upper lip, before hugging him to make it feel better. He smiled gratefully at her, before sitting on the grass, still sniffling. 

Emma caught Regina's eye and jogged over, kneeling down beside Henry.

"Oh my god Henry are you okay?"

He nodded at her before scrambling to his feet and replacing his momentary sorrow with his usual giddy self. Emma glanced over at the older woman, who was now standing to the side rather awkwardly. She remembered why she had left in the first place and handed her arm out towards Regina, sporting a tight-lipped smile and pronouncing her dimples for added effect. Regina silently chuckled at the expression before taking the sweater and smiling gratefully.

"Thankyou, Ms, uh.."

"Swan" Emma answered. "Emma Swan"

"Well, Thank you, Ms. Swan."

Emma nodded in response, before looking down at her son, who was swinging on her arm. 

"Regina's really good, mom. She kicks really hard and has the BEST hugs!" He bragged, smiling from ear to ear at the memory. He leaned forward onto his toes in excitement, trying to reach his mothers level.

"Is she?" Emma turned to Regina. "Well then Regina, would you like to stay for another game? I need to see these skills myself." Emma smirked, and Regina smiled and shook her head fondly at her new acquaintance. 

"Well, Ms. Swan-" Regina began. 

"Emma" Emma cut in.

"Emma" Regina corrected. " I'd love to stay, but I'm afraid I must get back to work. Here, take this." She produced a business card from her purse and held it out for Emma to take. 

"Call me when you want your sweater returned." She flashed mother and son a toothy smile before gathering her now empty flask and book, before heading off towards the lake, where her car was waiting for her. The disappointment was hard to push off of her face when she realised she had to leave, but work had to be done, no matter how excruciatingly long the rest of the day was going to be. 

\------

Emma had taken to busking. After days of searching the city for work, and after thousands of copies of CV's in the hands of thousands of potential employers, she had decided it a good way to both help ends meet and pass the time. She had lived on busking funds alone until Henry was two, until she could find someone willing to hire a 20 year old with no degrees and minimal experience. 

It took her hours to find her guitar, stacked in amongst various files and papers in a box under her bed. The thick layers of dust that lined to instrument too another half hour to clean off, and by the time she was done, it was 1 o'clock. Prime hour. It looked almost as good as it did when she had bought it from the second hand shop nearly 15 years ago. 

\-------

Regina's morning shift was drawing to a close, and she set about roaming the city centre, a tradition she had performed since the week she started as an apprentice. The soft summer breeze nipped at her shoulders, and she pulled her shoal further around her neck. The shops were buzzing with the nattering of people, and the garish red signs sporting 'sale' were endearing. She turned the corners, gazing into the windows and noting the prices, a habit she picked up from her mother. Despite her wealth, Cora Mills had always peeled an orange in her pocket, making sure she really needed something before she bought it. This behaviour had rubbed off on her daughter when the duo would go shopping together on a thursday afternoon after school at the end of the month. 

Soft, melodic tunes carried through the air towards Regina, settling beside her and continuing to play. She had always liked the buskers. Thought they brought a little more life into the otherwise dull city centres. She stopped contemplating a pricey buy and followed the voice, which she could distinguish as a young woman. After turning the corner again, she spotted the culprit. A tall, young blonde. She couldn't have been older than 30, and her guitar looked worn and overused. Her red leather jacket fitted snugly around her waist, showing off her figure and making Regina want to get a better look. The corner she was on was crowded, a few shoppers attempting to snatch as little as a glance at the mystery singer. Her voice was beautiful, bellowing out the lyrics in perfect harmony. The song she was singing finished, and the crowd erupted into cheers and whoops, demanding an encore. She cleared her throat before settling into a new melody, a slower one. 

_"I think the universe is on my side"_

Regina recognised it immediately. 'Bright' by EchoSmith. A song Regina had liked since the first time it was played on the radio. 

_"You make me sing oooh, lalala"_

This version was slower, a lullaby version, she presumed. But it was so much better than the already great original. Regina closed her eyes, enjoying the music. But the smile on her face couldn't be tamed. She stood in the crowd, which was slowly attracting more and more shoppers. The whole street was full of stunted people, as they all listened to the singing girl who was stood in front of a small coffee shop. Once the song was over, and the singer politely excused herself with the excuse of her having to get home to pick her son up from school, the crowd payed generous tips before continuing on with their shopping as if nothing had happened. Regina took this as an opportunity to reach her. Sh pushed through the dispersing people and tapped the young girl on the shoulder. She was pushing a guitar into a sleeve, without much luck. She swung around, startled, before realising it was just an onlooker. 

"Hey, uh.." Regina took one look at the girls face before stumbling back, shocked. "Ms. Swan?"

"Regina?" She stuttered, both ecstatic and slightly scared by the coincidence.

"Hey! Your voice deserves some appreciation. Its great."

"Oh god, you heard that? I'm just tryin' to earn some extra cash is all. I'm not great. Just good at picking up the audience apparently."

Regina stared at the woman in shock, mouth agape. 

"The rest of the city doesn't seem to think that. You know, I always love listening to potential talent - you - and I don't think you should waste that voice. You still got that card I gave you?"

Emma scowled, confused, before fishing it out of her pocket and holding it up to show Regina.

"Great. Are you free tomorrow, say, 10 o'clock ish?"

Emma nodded, only to be rewarded by Regina's smile. 

"Meet me at the address on it, tell them you're Ms. Swan and your looking for Regina Mills. They'll let you in. Now, if I remember rightly, Henry needs picking up, no?"

Emma nodded again, baffled by the whole thing, before picking up her guitar, flinging the strap over her shoulder and walking off. Regina smiled at her retreating form, before doing a little jig in triumph of her musically talented find.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in Chapter 1
> 
> Okay, so I know I said that I didn't own any of the music, but I wanna change that. Anything that Emma writes herself, the originals, are what I've dug out from my drawer of music stuff. So they're mine, but I don't own anything else. Enjoy Chapter 2.

The cabbie taking Emma to the mystery location raised his eyebrows in surprise when she read off the adress, but failed to question her reason for travel. They sat in a rather awkward silence as the 20 minute trip seemed to take hours. 

Once they arrived, Emma climbed from the car after paying the driver, and imitated his previous actions of raising her eyebrows at the building. It was tall, much like all the other buildings in the area. The grey exterior made it look anything other than somewhere Regina would work, and the large windows across the surface of the far wall made it look generic. Concrete pathways led the way to the somewhat grand entrance around the front. Small conifer tree's framed the double glass rotating doors, and even from where she was standing, Emma could see how busy the office's were. 

She straightened her back before pushing the door open and stepping into the over-crowded lobby. A small fountain occupied the far corner, surrounded by plush black leather seating. Awards and certificates lined the walls, and a grand chandelier sat proudly in the centre of the ceiling, providing the main light source for the brightly lit room. A reception desk took over majority of the other wall, with 3 receptionists, dressed dapper in their suits, leaning tiredly against the counter. 

Emma approached them slowly, and the young woman on the far end called her over. Her dark hair was pulled tightly into a bun on the back of her head, and her green and black shirt, tie, and waistcoat were crinkled from her slouching posture. Emma couldn't help but notice the practised smile on her red lips, contrasting harshly with the dull, bored look behind her eyes. 

"How can I help you?" A shrill voice asked, pulling Emma from her amazed trance and back into the reality of the situation. She pulled the card Regina had given her from the pocket of her jacket, holding it at near arms length and squinting at it so she could get away with not wearing her glasses. Emma had decided in middleschool that glasses weren't for her, and she had taken to not wearing them as often as she could. 

"Uh, I'm looking for..." She squinted again "Regina? Regina Mills." She seemed triumphant that she had managed to read the small print. 

"Name?" The same nasal voice asked, a sneer in her words. Emma pretended not to hear the scoff her receptionist had given her when she read Regina's name. 

"Emma Swan" She stated, annoyance threaded through her words. She was loosing her patience. 

The receptionists face showed that of disbelief, and she seemed to choke on her breath, as it audibly hitched in her throat. "You're Emma Swan?" She spluttered, and Emma nodded. A buzz was sounded over the intercom, and Emma followed the suddenly scared receptionist through a maze of doors towards an elevator. 

"Floor 36." She recited, as she had probably done thousands of times before, yet this time, her voice trembled with the thought of the power Regina had over her. "Straight down the corridor, take your 3rd left, there's Regina's office. You can't miss it."

Emma thanked her with a nod before stepping into the lift to be carted off towards the 36th floor. 

\-------

Regina's office was large, bigger than the rest on the floor. An abnormally big houseplant occupied the far corner, but apart from that, the whole room was empty bar a desk along the wall adjacent to the door. The walls were lined with various guitars, awards, and posters of bands. The hard-wood floor made Emma's pumps smack on the ground, and the chill in the air made her hug her arms around her front for warmth. 

Regina stood up to meet her newest client. "Hello, Ms. Swan. Glad you could make it." She reached out and gently shook her hand. 

"Thanks. Me too." Emma sat uninvited in the seat opposite Regina. "So" she asked. "How come I'm here?" 

"I own a company, that I think you'll be interested in being a part of." Emma opened her mouth to protest. "Hear me out, Ms. Swan." She closed it again. 

"Look around you. Do you recognise any of these bands?" Sure enough, she did. Some of the most current bands were displayed on the walls, and one of them was a picture of Henry's favourite. 

Emma nodded truthfully, and Regina's coy smile only grew.

"How would you like your picture up with the rest?" 

Emma's eyes widened in shock, closely followed by her smile, before her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"I run Mill Records, Emma. And you really have potential. I'm offering you a chance to be signed. Do you write? Music I mean?"

Emma nodded. Truth be told, she had a folder full of songs that had never seen the light of day from when she was a teenager. She chose not to sing them when busking, as she found people payed better when they knew the song. 

She nodded again to clarify. Regina smiled and smacked her hands down on her desk. "Great. Oh, I forgot to ask if you were interested."

Emma's nod's were starting to become frequent. 

"Do you reckon you could bring me in a recording of an original by this time next week? I know how good you are, but I need a hard copy so I can show my co-workers. We need something to compare you to other potentials. I can let you in on some scoop though, non of them can write. And writers are more likely to get through. You up for it?"

Emma finally found her voice in her cocoon of shock. "Uh, yeah. Wow. You really think I could do it? I mean, I have loads of songs. Oh God. What if I don't get it?"

"There's no 'what if' Ms. Swan. You will get it. And if you don't, I'll put you down as a potential in 6 months time. Don't worry"

Emma nodded again at the reassurance.

"So, I'll see you next week, Ms. Swan?"

"Uh, its Emma. And I guess so. Goodbye Regina." She stood up and scurried out of the ever growing office, the smile on her face hard to tame natural. Once she reached the lift door, she retraced her steps and stuck her head around the door of Regina's office. 

"Oh, and Regina?" Emma sing-songed. She looked up at the mention of her name. "You might wanna have a word with the receptionist downstairs. She's being rude to your clients."

"Regina's expression hardened. "Which one?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"The one who was working the far right? The one with dark hair and really poor posture."

"Too much lipstick?" Regina clarified, anger evident in her eyes.

"Yeah, that one."

"She's had one too many warnings. Don't worry Ms. Swan, she'll be gone next time you come here."

"Ace, thanks Regina." Emma's coy grin stayed painted on her face throughout her trip down to the ground floor, and only widened when she passed the receptionist and remembered her fate. Serves her right for being mean, Emma thought. 

\-------

The only thought on her mind that night was her potential deal. Even Henry noticed the unusual spark behind her eyes. He decided to ask her about it as she was tucking him in bed. 

"Mum, what did you do today?" He asked, a twinkle in his eye. His knowing look made his mother's smile grow wider at the memory.

"Well, I saw Regina."

Henry gasped. "Am I gonna get another mom?" He started jumping around, giddy from his assumption.

"What, no! Kid! It was nothing like that." She pulled the covers over him, only for him to kick them off again. "Yesterday" She continued. "I was singing on the street. You know like I used to when you were a baby?" Henry nodded and motioned for her to get to the point. "And I think Regina was shopping or something. Anyway, she heard me, and came up to me afterwards." She walked across the room to flick on his nightlight as she spoke. "And she said she really liked my voice, and told me to go to the place where she worked. So I did, today." She sat back down on the bed next to Henry. "And it turns out she works for a big company that manages singers. And she asked me to record myself singing one of the songs I wrote. And if its good enough, she'll hire me."

"As an assistant?" Henry asked, his eyes wide with awe. 

"No, silly." Emma kissed the top of his head. "As a singer."

Henry sat up, but returned to his previous position by the orders of Emma's stern look.

"And thats where you come in." She whispered in his ear. "Tomorrow, after lunch. Help me pick out a song?" Henry nodded eagerly. "Good." She stood up and walked over to the door, turning off the lights. "Night, kid." The door was closed and Emma was left, panting, on the other side, as realisation of what she was doing hit her. She could be a singer. A real one. "Don't fuck this up" She muttered under her breath, before decending into the basement and towards the shared laundry room of the complex.

\-------

"Right, kid, where should we start?"

Henry and Emma were sat at the breakfast table, documents strewn everywhere and Emma's guitar leaning against the wall. 

"Well, why don't you play the songs, and we can decide which ones are the best. Then we have less to work with."

Emma smiled at her sons logic. She ruffled his hair, only for him to groan. "Your pretty smart, kid. Okay, how about this one?" She held up the first, and Henry nodded. 

\---

3 hours later, and Emma was down to the last song. It was one she had wrote when she was 16 and in hiding for fear of getting caught and being put back in the system. It was full of raw emotions and feelings, when she was both lovestruck and heartbroken by everything. By how unfair her life was. She had found a way to make life be percepted as an ex lover. The melody was slow at first, but got progressively more aggressive as time went on. Assumingly as she got angrier when she wrote it. 

As soon as she was done playing, Henry was nodding at her. 

"What?" She asked.

"That ones perfect. Even I can tell it's not some soppy love song. Who are all those about, anyway?"

"Your father" Emma replied simply, before turning back to the music in front of her. "Okay, so you think this one? It needs some work, don't you think. The ending is a different key to the begining, and the lyrics are too raw. I don't want people to know this. Obviously I'll keep most of them in, but..." She looked up to see Henry staring out the window, oblivious to Emma's natter.

"Kid!" She snapped her fingers in front of his face, and he turned his head to her slowly.   
"Tell me about him." He stated, curiosity clouding his hazel eyes.   
"Well, uh, well you inherited his looks, that's for sure." Henry chuckled. "Sit down, kid" He did as instructed. "He was - he was good. I met him in a run down diner I worked in, not too far from where he worked. He would come in and complain that we didn't have pumpkin pie, but he'd come in the day after anyway. I'd known him from somewhere, but I couldn't figure out where at the time. I figured out a couple years after you were born. Him and I were together for about a year before we had you, and he died 3 months after. You were his world, never forget that, Henry. When he was alive, we would travel a lot, and that's why I took a while to settle with you. I wanted somewhere where I could remember him, but somewhere he always wanted to go but never got chance to. It was after we moved here, the city he was born in, that I remembered where I'd met him. He was in one of the homes I was in, in Tennessee. He was the one that got away, the one I wrote all these songs about. I just wish I'd have known that when he was alive."  
Emma's eyes were glassed over, the memories of her late lover flooding her mind and threatening to spill over. Henry's hand reached out and settled on his mum's forearm, and Emma topped his with her own. She smiled a watery smile before taking a deep breath and standing up. 

"How about Taco Bell, eh?" Henry's smile returned, and he rushed to grab their shoes.

\-------

Regina's smile was hard to manage. Sure, she had smiled before, but not this wide since her father died. Emma was doing something that she couldn't understand. Emma had only shown her presence to Regina a handful of times, but that's all it needed to get her hooked. Emma was a drug, one that Regina couldn't get enough of. And she was particularly excited for 10 o'clock Friday morning. The day was Tuesday, and it dragged like a dry mop. The progress it left behind was barely noticeable, if it even existed at all. No clients showed any promises of talent, and Regina was left worn out by the end of the day. It was the worst she had encountered in years, and the apple cider was cracked open when she waltzed through her front door at 7 that night. No second thoughts were put into the second and third glass, and she only slightly hesitated at the fourth. The day wasn't that bad, but her mind was plagued. Her mind was plagued with a beautiful, perky blonde who has the voice of a literal angel. The one with the most adorable 8 year old. The one who she was going to see on the Friday approaching. 

She stopped after four, remembering her early morning shift. A stagnant feeling hung in the air as she got ready for bed. A feeling of regret. Why she asked Emma to return before she signed her was beyond the woman. Emma's voice was angelic, melodic and easy to adapt. It would fit perfectly to any genre, and Regina was still in the dark about what that was. Yes, Emma liked Echosmith, that much was obvious, but the mysterious aura of the girl had Regina thinking there was more to her than just a single mom who could sing. 

\-------

Emma wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her jeans. The lobby was far from crowded, holding around 20 people. She was pleased to see the receptionist from the week before was nowhere to be seen, and the one who granted her permission up onto the 36th floor was kind and helpful. 

Her sweaty hands fumbled with the collar of her shirt when she knocked on Regina's office door, the pristine mahogany wood smooth and soft under her knuckles. A soft "come in" sounded from inside the room, and Emma pushed the door open. Regina rose from her seat and smild, taking Emma's hand and motioning for her to sit down. Emma's tense state rose concern with the older woman, but she tried not to show it. She knew Emma would be nervous, but not this much. She tried to break the tension by cracking a smile, and Emma's soft chuckles made Regina think she had done her job. 

"Hello, Ms. Swan." Regina smiled again, feeling rewarded by Emma's return of the expression. 

"Hey" Emma's voice was noticeably shaky, and Regina put her hand over Emma's. 

"It's okay, you know. No need to be nervous. It's just me who'll hear it."

Emma nodded, feeling slightly more reassured, and pulled the USB from her pocket. "It's a song I wrote when I was 16. It's not the best I can do, but I haven't had time to write fresh, because I'm still looking for another job. I hope it's good enough."

Regina nodded as Emma handed her the stick, and she bent down to push it into the PC under the desk. A window opened on the monitor, and Regina opened the sound file, fiddling with the volume dial on the wall. A soft hum filled the office, followed by a C scale on the guitar. A slow melody was layered over the top, a trick Emma had learned in school as a child. 

A voice, unmistakably Emma's, started singing a verse.

_"The words escaping your lips"_

Regina smiled at the hold she had on the notes. The speed of the song fit the sorrowful mood to the track.

_"Differ when they linger on my hips"_

Emma winced. She had forgotten how personal the song really was. Regina seemed to be liking it, but Emma was petrified nonetheless. 

The tempo picked up, and the middle 8 was sung with more force behind the words. 

_"My heart is chained to yours. Theres no doubt about that now"_

Regina's heart wrenched. She was aware the song was written from personal experience, and this particular verse had so much emotion and fear behind it. She couldn't imagine going through enough pain to be able to write this much feeling into a song. She shot Emma a sympathetic smile, and she retracted her hand from Regina's grasp in response. She felt small, unworthy, as her true self was shown through the lyrics in her song. 

As the last few bars strummed to a close, Emma found interest in her lap, picking at the loose thread at the hem of her shirt.

"Emma." Was all Regina could manage to say. The beauty of the song doubled with the angelic voice of the singer made for no words. Emma smiled sadly and got up to leave, but Regina grabbed her wrist just as she reached the door. "That was..." She tried again, but she wasn't able to explain how she was feeling. 

"I understand" Emma said finally, making for the door again. Regina finally found her voice.

"No, wait, where are you going?" She kicked the chair out with her foot under the desk. "Sit back down." Emma did as she was told. "Why are you leaving? That was amazing. Truly beautiful." Emma's face was a picture.

"Really? It wasn't too personal."

"Not at all." Regina stood and walked over to a filing cabinet at the other side of the office, before pulling out a folder and bringing it back to the desk. She pulled out some papers and a pen before sitting down and handing them to Emma over the desk.

"If you can just sign on the dotted line on each paper, we can get right to it."

"I got the job?" Emma squealed, pure delight written on her face. Her smile only grew wider when Regina nodded, smiling herself.

Emma quickly read over the contracts before signing them and sliding them over to Regina, who checked the signature and slotted it back into the folder. She wrote the words 'Emma Swan' on the front and pushed it to the side, folding her arms on the table.

"So lets get down to business."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is chapter 3! Sorry it took me a few days to update. I was away yesterday so I wasn't really able to write anything.
> 
> **Edit: I realised that I only posted half of this chapter so if you've already read it then I suggest you find where you were up to and keep reading 'cause there's probably more.**

Emma had always dreamed of doing something with her voice. Taking it further then her bedroom. When she was 15, she played lead role in a production of Peter Pan. Everyone told her she should continue acting as a profession, yet, with no parents supporting her, she fell into a wormhole of bad decisions. Her year in prison broke her chances of working with children, her back up plan, and so she ended up in a carousel of dead-end jobs. Diners, grocery stores, even busking seemed pointless. If it wasn't for Henry, she had no idea where she would be. Back in prison, probably. 

The recording studio she was led to was white, much like every other room in the building. The booth was bigger than anything she had ever imagined, and the rest of the walls were decorated with various string instruments. Regina held her hands up towards the far wall. It was full of guitars; Electric, acoustic, even a ukulele. She ogled them, taking in the ravish details of the artwork over the front. One in particular caught her eye. It was a smoky blue acoustic, darker around the edges and fading into a paler colour near the soundhole. The strings were cleaner than hers had ever been, reflecting the light in the room. Emma had to restrain herself from saying "woah" at the beauty of it. She eyed the neck hungrily, taking in the shine of the frets and the perfect dark blue varnish on the wood. The headstock was masterly carved, holding the ivory tuning pegs with ease and grace. An intricate design occupied the circumference of the soundhole, black and white crosses and swirls winding around each other, a centimetre thick. 

Regina giggled at Emma's awe for the instruments on the wall, and Emma spun on her heel, her hands over her cheeks to hide her blush. The brunette's goofy smile at Emma's cuteness made her cheeks grow hotter, and Emma hid her chin in her chest, bending her knees slightly and ducking from Regina's gaze. 

Once they had regained their composure, the pair stood, side by side, glaring at the wall. 

"Have it" Regina said suddenly, making Emma jump. 

"Pardon?" Emma asked, unsure whether she heard correctly. 

"Have it" Regina repeated, more confidence in her voice. Emma's eyes brightened, but drooped again as she started to shake her head. 

"No, no I can't take that from you. It's amazing, but I can't take it." Emma wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, but she knew that she wanted it, bad. 

"I want you to have it. Consider it a welcome gift. And also a token of our friendship. We are friends, right?" Emma nodded like it was the most obvious answer in the world. 

"Thankyou so much, Regina. Oh my god." She ran over to the wall and carefully unhooked it, gently holding it in her fingertips as if it was fine china. The way the wood felt under Emma's fingers made her shiver, and the beauty of the details on the front was even better when Emma saw she could see the grains of the wood under the varnish. On closer inspection, Emma found her name written on the label inside the soundhole. Her brows knitted together in confusion and she showed it to Regina, who just shrugged.

"I thought you'd like it. It seemed to be you. So I put it in place of the original one." She walked over to a walk in closet and pulled out a guitar, holding it up and walking back over to the wall. "And I knew you'd want it. Consider it a treat. It's never used anyway." Regina turned back around to face Emma, who was still in awe of her new instrument. "It just sits in that cupboard. Anyway." She pulled a stool from under the breakfast bar and sat down, motioning for Emma to do the same. "Vocals or instruments first?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, that song you gave me is amazing. I think we need to rerecord it though. No offence, but your mic isn't that good" Regina laughed, reaching behind her for some papers Emma didn't know were there. 

"Erm, well, I think guitar? I always record that first, so I can listen to it when I'm singing."

"Okay then, in the booth you go." Regina gently nudged Emma's lower back, and she jumped from her stool and cautiously walked into the booth. The floor was carpeted, and 3 out of the 4 walls were covered in foam, assumingly to reduce echo. She found a stool and perched on it, angling her leg so it was comfortable for her guitar to sit on her knee. Regina scurried in, pushing a guard onto the microphone. She gave her a weak smile before walking out again, shutting the door behind her. Emma watched as she sat in the chair, pushing dials and buttons, before pressing record. She leaned into the microphone and muttered "whenever you're ready."

\-------

Time ticked as the duo worked, unaware that the clocks in the office read two thirty five. Emma's song was fully recorded, with the promise of it being ready by Monday. Regina suggested that they go out for lunch to celebrate, but Emma remembered her son needed picking up from school. She glanced at the clock, before jumping swiftly from her chair, scribbling her number down on a pad and taking off, all whilst muttering a quick apology to Regina, who kept insisting it was fine and that she understood. Emma's fleeting apologetic look was the last Regina saw of her as she almost ran to the elevator, aware that her son finished school in twenty minutes on the other side of town. 

She quickly hailed a taxi, getting to Henry's school in the nick of time. She listened to the closing bell just as she stepped from the cab, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Children started filing out, chatting animately amongst themselves. Emma spotted Henry as he ran through the gates, his nose in the air as he looked over the cars in the parking lot. His shoulders slumped and his face frowned when he didn't spot the yellow bug. He slowed down his walk over to the school bus, as if his mom would appear out of thin air. Emma jogged over to him when he didn't see her waving, and grabbed him with two arms around his waist, picking him up and rolling him over her body. At first he went to scream, before he recognised the red leather clad arms and the musky scent of his mother's cologne. His smile grew as he hugged back, grabbing her hand and pulling from her grasp. He stole a glance at her face, surprised by the enigmatic glee radiating from her. The frown permanently etched into her brow was smoothed, and the tired circles around her eyes seemed to have been erased. Her laugh lines looked new, and her skin seemed to glow. Henry raised an eyebrow at her, but shrugged, and let his Mother lead him to the local diner.

The order taken at Grannys was peculiar, but Henry had the sense not to question him Mom's happiness. It was rare, and so needed to be treated lightly in order f0r it not to fade, something he was way too familiar with. Their ice-cream arrived, and Emma tipped, something unheard of. She suddenly looked serious, and Henry put down his spoon, reaching out his hand for his Mom to take. She put her hand in his, her smile weak and fragile. 

"Henry" She started, and he braced himself for the worst. _"I didn't get the job"_ or worse _"we have to move again "_. These phrases were all too common to slip past his Mother's lips, and he squeezed her hand, hoping he wouldn't have to leave his friends. It was the longest he had been in the same place. He really didn't want to move. 

"Henry" She said again, keeping eye contact. He screwed his eyes and held his breath, ready for the impact of her words. "-I got the job!" She finished, squeezing his hand in excitement. He softened his facial expression, smiling at the hint of his Mom's ecstatic joy he saw when he opened his eyes. She squealed and swung the guitar on her back over to the seat next to her, unzipping the case and handing Henry her new guitar. 

"Do you want my other one?" She whispered, as if she was scared of someone hearing her. Henry nodded enthusiastically, whilst he ran his fingers over the wood. He smiled in awe of the slightly metallic finish, tilting the guitar to watch it shimmer in the light. He passed it back gently, his mouth forming a near perfect 'O' as he watched it pass over the table. 

Quiet chuckles milled in the air from the two of them, along with recounts of their day and exaggerated facial expressions. After around an hour of talking, Mother and son left the diner, leaving behind their long forgotten sundaes, which were now more of a milkshake in the bottom of the flasks. Emma grabbed Henry's hand as they continued their conversation, taking the long way home so they would have more time to talk. The warm, summer breath of air was pleasant to walk through, but the stilled breeze meant the two were sticky by the time they reached their road.

Once they arrived home, the air-conditioning was inviting and cool, and the shade made their eyes sigh in relief. The first thing Henry did was open the fridge, tossing his Mom a soda and keeping one for himself. He flopped on the couch, turning on his cartoons and putting his feet up. Emma's stern glare made him think otherwise, and he sat up, kicking off his shoes and crossing his legs. He smiled innocently up at Emma, who was struggling to keep a straight face. She let loose, giggling uncontrollably. Her son joined in, and their quiet afternoon turned into a full on laughing fest. By the end of it, they couldn't remember what they were laughing at originally.

Emma picked herself from the floor and walked over to the fridge, pulling out another soda and taking a sip. As she stood up, her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She held her hand up at Henry and walked into her bedroom. Before answering the call, she stared down at the unknown number, trying to decipher the numbers into something recognisable. She almost didn't catch the call itself, and picked up on the last ring. 

"Who is it?" She asked, her voice shaking a little. 

_"Hello? Is this Ms. Swan?"_

"Regina" Emma sighed, relieved it was someone she knew. "Hey"

 _"Oh thank the lord. I was scared I got the wrong number."_ Emma chuckled. _"Listen, I was wondering if you and Henry wanted to come out for dinner? To celebrate your job? My treat."_

"Oh, um, thats fine by me. Let me just ask Henry, hold on." She held the phone to her chest to muffle her voice. "Hey kid! Fancy dinner with Regina?" He nodded, and Emma smiled. She put the phone back on her ear. "Yeah thats fine. Where and when?"

_"How about I come pick you up. Six thirty?"_

"Sure. Okay I'll see you then. Bye."

_"Goodbye Ms. Swan."_

"Its, er, its Emma"

_"Oh, right, sorry. Goodbye Emma."_

The phone clicked, and Emma pulled it from her ear, her smile nearly reaching it. She jokingly grabbed Henry by the scuff of his neck, before she swung her legs over the back of the settee and put her arm along the top of the cushions behind Henry. He leaned into her side, resting his head in the crook of her neck. 

"Oh, kid" Emma looked up at the time. It was six. Half an hour before they were due to be picked up by Regina. Emma stood up, stretching out her back before walking into Henry's room. She pulled open his closet, fishing out a patterned dress shirt and some smart dark coloured jeans. Laying them on his bed, she called him in to get changed as she headed to her own room to do the same. She ended up in a teal button up shirt and black jeans, similar to her previous attire. Once they were ready the two sat in the living room, waiting for Regina to show up at the address Emma had texted her minutes ago. 

A buzz on the intercom made Emma jump, and she ran to answer. After telling Regina they would be right there, she pulled on her shoes and told Henry to do the same. She grabbed her backpack and Henry's hand, descending down the stairs towards the entrance of the complex. Sure enough, Regina was stood, leaning against her car. A snug blue woolen dress fitted her body, and her high stiletto shoes matched. She looked up at the pair through her lashes, her head tilted downwards towards the arms crossed over her chest and a smug grin occupying her lips. Her gaze started at Emma's head and ended at her feet, and she had to fight off the blush crawling over her cheeks. 

"Hey" Henry said excitedly, breaking the too women from their trance. 

"Hey." Regina averted her gaze to Emma, who was now blushing profusely. "You ready?" She asked, earning a nod from the two of them. She motioned to the Benz behind her, opening the back door before opening the passenger behind her. She ran around to the driver's side and climbed in, gesturing for them to do the same. Once everyone was strapped in, she pulled away from the road, smiling into the mirror at Henry every once in a while, noting how awkward he looked. His hands were folded up in his lap and his back was rigid, looking as if he was going to turn anything he touched into stone.

"You can relax, Henry. I'm not going to get mad at you if you lean back in the chair."

He seemed to slouch at that, sitting further into the seat and moving his fingers from his lap and onto the seat beside his. Regina smiled and stole a glance at the woman sitting next to her. She was sat just as rigid, looking straight ahead. 

Regina gently nudged her in the ribs, causing her to giggle. "You too! You look like you've seen a ghost, you lot."

Emma sighed as she leaned back, grateful of Regina's company. She absentmindedly stroked the buttery leather of the upholstery, moving her fingers towards the expertly stitched seam along the edge of the chair. Her smile spread as her fingers met the embroidery, the feeling of the thread under her fingers largely satisfying.

Regina's lazy smile failed to falter even as the car pulled into a parking spot outside a large coliseum-like building. Four columns, double the width of Emma, stood proudly on the patio above the ascending steps. They held a solid marble block high in the air, which made Emma weary of her surroundings. She held Henry's shoulders protectively, pulling him into her side. 

Intricate marble carvings framed the doorway, followed by deep mahogany wood double doors, open to reveal the beautifully decorated foyer. A waiter stood proud behind the entrance, dressed in an impeccable suit. His chin tilted up ever so slightly, making his dark mustache appear thinner. The flooring was the same colour as the doors, dark and inviting. A wooden staircase finished with a string banister spiralled around the far corner, leading to what looked like the dining floor. 

Regina lead the younger two over to the waiter, requesting a table for three. He nodded minutely and proceeded to take the guests to the 2nd floor, holding 3 menu's and a towel over his arm. Round tables scattered the room, each laid with a creamy-looking table cloth and immaculately polished cutlery. A proud chandelier lit the room, decorated with thousands of LED candles. The windows along the far wall were guarded from view by heavy-looking white curtains, which hung from a silvery pole. An array of foods were pushed under Emma's nose as another waitress carried trays of expensive looking product to an occupied table. Henry stared in awe, silently staring at everything in all its glory. The three were guided to a table near the rear of the room, sitting with Henry next to Emma and Regina sat across from them. The restaurant looked far to expensive for Emma to touch anything, and her eyes skimmed over the prices of the menu. The cheapest option was a side of garlic bread, totalling at a price of $9.87. She couldn't help but feel underdressed, as she watched the richest of women flaunting their cocktail dresses and the wealthiest of Men strut in their tuxedos.

She pulled on her blazer jacket self consciously, tugging it around her shoulders further in an attempt to hide her poorly dressed self. Regina held her hand over Emma's, reassuring her. 

"You look great Emma." 

Emma nodded, still unsure. She looked over the cheaper options, scared of overdoing it. Her eyes fell on something both her and Henry could agree had to be the best meal you could have. "Perfect" she muttered to herself, before pointing it out to Henry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite an abrupt ending, I know, but its already the longest chapter so far and I want at least some material for the next chapter so yeah.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in chapter 1
> 
> Thankyou for all the kudos! It means a lot to me that you guys enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it.
> 
> The song that Emma and Henry sing is not mine, its from Sesame Street but theres a really nice cover of it which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ftU25GTLNI  
> ^^^Its the one this is based off of.

Regina glanced confusedly at the knowing pair, who kept sharing sideward glances and quiet sniggers. After the initial shock of the building, Emma and Henry had settled, comfortable with their surroundings. Regina gave them a shy smile, earning one back from Emma, whilst Henry gave her an overly cheesy grin, one to match the bowl of Macaroni Cheese in front of him. Emma was eating the same, a stark contrast to Regina's 'Country Chicken Salad' as the menu boasted. She had said that it was the one thing she always got when she came to this chain of restaurants, and that it was a must try at some point in a person's life. Emma was left to wonder how often the brunette visited this particular restaurant, yet her questions were answered when the waitress addressed Regina as Ms. Mills. 

Regina sparked the conversation, starting by telling mother and son that the song was due to be released on Monday. Henry's excited squeal pulled the attention from Emma's almost unheard of genuine grin, and Regina giggled at his enthusiasm. 

"Are you excited to hear it, Henry?" Regina asked, directing her gaze towards the young boy across from her. He nodded animately, before turning his attention back to the pasta in front of him. He smiled as the cheese sauce melted on his tongue.

"I have to say, Regina, you have good taste in restaurants."

"Thankyou dear"

"Yeah." Emma agreed. "This Mac and Cheese is incredible. Better than Kraft, right kid?"

Henry nodded and smiled his approval as another macaroni slid down his throat. 

"Wait, you eat Kraft? I've never had it. Is it good?" Regina asked, curiosity laced through her tone. Before Emma had time to answer, Henry came up with a response of his own.

"Why don't you come over at some point and try it? Mom doesn't like the sauce that much so she makes her own. I always thought it was the best out there but then I tried this."

Regina giggled at his ardor, before looking down nervously, realising an eight year old had just indirectly invited her over for dinner. 

"I don't make my own. I just add stuff to it to make it more palatable."

Regina noticed that Emma didn't even address the invitation, glossing it over with an agreeing nod before eating more pasta. She shrugged and continued to make conversation as the dinner slid along perfectly. No awkward silences, no miscommunications or fall outs. Emma was impressed when Regina agreed to come in for coffee after the meal was over, and Henry took lead, running up the stairs in front of them. Once the door was unlocked Emma pushed it open and allowed Regina's judging eyes to look around the bare apartment. She imagined the older womans disgust and suddenly felt overly small, self consciously shuffling things on the counter in order to make her excuse of a home seem more presentable. Regina held her hand over Emma's in a silent reminder to stop, and Emma's minute nod made her remove it again.

The smell of coffee flooded throughout the apartment, much to Regina's delight, and she sat back into the sofa that Henry had guided her towards. The scratchy fabric was only mildly discomforting, but the wear of the springs meant she sank into the body, greatful of the way it curved around her aching back. 

Emma walked over to her and handed her a steaming black coffee, earning a thankful smile. She walked around and sat next to the brunette, disregarding Henry's attempts to sit on her lap. She budged over so he could sit between the two women and he shimmied into the gap, comfortably leaning back.

"Okay, so, when do you next want me in?" Emma asked Regina, who was looking around the room with fascination. The room wasn't much, but she was impressed how Emma had done what she could with what she had. It looked cozy and homey. The floor was wooden, most likely part of the buildings requirements, and the walls were stark white, under the same procedure, she assumed. The TV in the corner was averagely sized, big enough, she decided. Emma had made it look more inviting by giving it a messy look. Belongings cluttered every possible surface, though it didn't look untidy. It looked lived in, the opposite to Regina's condo across town. She had an underlying requirement for tidiness. The way she saw it, everything had a place and it was better off there. 

"Mom, can we sing a song?" Henry asked, his gaze fixed on his mom. She nodded.

"Of course love. I'll go get my guitar, you pick a song, okay?" He nodded at her retreating form.

"Do you and your mom sing songs often?" She asked the boy, and he nodded.

"When I was little I wouldn't sleep unless she'd sung me a song. She knows all of these funny songs. I learned them because she sang them to me a lot." He shrugged, and his face lit up when Emma returned from her bedroom, guitar in hand. 

"Did you pick a song Henry?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Moons" He said simply, and Emma sat down, poising the guitar on her knee. She turned to Regina.

"Join in if you know it" She grinned, before settling her hand on the strings and lazily strumming out a perky melody, one which sounded familiar to Regina, though she couldn't pinpoint why. Emma's angelic voice broke her from her thinking stance.

 _"Well, I'd like to visit the moon"_  
Henry smiled and started to sway from his cross legged position on the floor, closing his eyes to enjoy his mother's voice.

_"On a rocket ship high in the air. Yes I'd like to visit the moon, but I don't think I'd wanna stay there."_

Regina's confusion rose considerably when she noticed Henry wasn't singing along, but she assumed he had a cue. Instead of worrying herself, she sat back and enjoyed the show instead.

_"Though I'd like to look down at the earth from above, I would miss all the places and people I love. So although I may like it for one afternoon, I don't wanna live on the moon."_

Regina knitted her eyes at the abnormality of the song, but once again decided not to question it. 

_"Well I'd like to visit the sea."_

Her eyes shot open when the singing voice suddenly got a lot deeper and child like. She looked down at Henry whose eyes were still closed, yet his mouth wasn't. He was singing the next verse, his voice sweet and buttery. It had a gruff undertone, yet his age made sure that it still remained fairly high pitched. 

_"I could meet all the fish everywhere. Yes I'd travel under the sea, but I don't think I'd wanna stay there._

_"I could stay for a day there if I had my wish. But there's not much to do when your friends are all fish. And an Oyster and Clam are not my family. So I don't wanna live in the sea."_

Emma smiled as he stopped, allowing her to sing the next line solo.

_"I'd like to go to the jungle hear the lions roar"_

Henry took over, smiling in memory of his sentence before he sang it.

_"Go back in time and meet a dinosaur"_

The two harmonised for the rest of the song, singing the rest of the song together.

_"There's so many strange places I'd like to be. But none of them permanently._

_"So if we could visit the moon, well we'd dance on a moonbeam and then. We would make a wish on a star, and wish we was home once again._

_"Though we'd like to look down at the earth from above, we would miss all the places and people we love. So although we may go we'll be coming home soon. We don't wanna live on the moon."_

Emma finished the song off with some strumming, tying off the end if the chords. 

She sighed as she leaned her guitar against the armrest of the couch, watching as Henry scrambled up off the floor and joined the two on the sofa. Emma put her arm around him, hugging him to her side and kissing his hair and the three talked animately about everything and nothing all the same.

\------

Ten o'clock Monday morning and Emma was rounding the corner towards Regina's office, having been texted the details the night before. With her guitar in her hand and a bag on her back she entered the building, smiling at the receptionist and using her new keycard, that she received in the post, to open the elevator. Once she reached the 36th floor she knocked on Reginas office door and waited to be called in. She entered the room and took off her bag. Sitting down, she noticed Regina's seemingly untameable grin. She slowly lowered herself to the chair, keeping her eyes on the giddy brunette.

"What's goin' on?" She asked, but somehow she already knew the answer. A wide grin mimicked Regina's as she prepared herself for whatever news her boss had to offer.

"Your song. It's been out two hours, Emma." She turned her laptop around to face the young blonde, and Emma's eyes nearly fell from her skull. Regina smiled knowingly, remembering her similar reaction when she first saw the figures. The screen boasted a top 10 chart, and Emma's song sat comfortably at 1st. 

"What? No, that's not right." She refreshed the page and stumbled back when she saw the 'listens' number rise by almost a thousand. "oh my god" She whispered, her shocked face slowly forming a smile. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed, slightly louder. She drew a deep breath and laughed it out, her eyes tearing with the overwhelming news. 

Regina stood from her seat and walked over to the shaking woman, wrapping her arms around her almost protectively. She stroked Emma's hair in an attempt to calm her down, and it soon enough, Emma's thrilled sobs were barely a whimper. She leaned dangerously close to her ear and whispered "You did it Emma. I'm proud of you" before pecking her cheek quickly. She knew it was risky, but Emma didn't seem to notice. She didn't acknowledge it, anyway. The two women pulled apart, Emma covering her face with her hands in excitement. Without warning, her eyes widened and she darted to the backpack she had tossed aside just minutes ago. 

"Something wrong?" 

She checked the time on her phone, before looking up at Regina. "I gotta tell Henry. He's on recess. I can phone his school, they'll put him on."

She tapped a number into her phone and held it to her ear.

"Hey Mary-Margaret, its me. Look, I need to speak with Henry. Is it possible to put him on? Yes, everythings fine, I just need to talk to him about something. Thanks." She paused, presumably as Henry was called to the office. "Hey kid. Listen, right, you know that song that gets released today? Yeah, well its been up two hours, and its already at no.1. No, I'm being serious." She held the phone away from her ear as an excited squeal emitted from the other end. "Wasn't using that ear anyway." She joked. "I gotta go, Regina's giving me the 'hurry up or I'll throttle you' look. See you after school. Bye, kid"

She hung up the call and spun slowly on her heel to meet Regina's raised eyebrow. She put her hands up in defence. "Hey, do you want to get some work done today or just listen to Henry's nattering?"

Regina just chuckled fondly and walked back over to her desk, closing the door as she passed it. Emma pulled some papers from her bag and flopped them in the desk.

"What're these?" Regina asked, cocking her eyebrow. 

"Songs" Emma said simply "They need work, but I thought you'd want something more than a single. I just brought them, I don't even remember why to be honest."

Regina smiled and started to read through one of them, her smile widening when she took in the meaning behind the lyrics. "When did you write these?" She asked, clearly impressed. 

"most of them in 8th grade" Emma shrugged. "I haven't done much writing in a while. I haven't had time." 

Regina's jaw dropped. The piece she was holding in front of her was amazing. She hadn't even heard the music yet and already she was enthralled. "Can you play this for me? I know it might need some work but I'd like to hear it. Get a perspective."

"O-oh, er, sure" Emma pulled out her guitar and sat on the obnoxiously wide windowsill, propping her knee on a stool that sat underneath the window. She reached for the papers, leaning them against the window without much look.

"Oh, here, let me grab that for you." Regina disappeared into a back cupboard and pulled out a music stand, positioning it in front of Emma. 

"Thanks" She laid out her music and got her hand comfortable, testing some chords to make sure she remembered how it went. She nodded herself a rhythm before continuing it with her toes, counting the beats in her head before she started. Her head continued to knock in time, before her hands began their strumming, heavy chords, alternating C and F. 

She sang the first verse, before glancing at the paper in front of her for the chorus. She quickly read through the words, her eyebrows knitting, before rounding off her strumming and relaxing her muscles in defeat. 

"Why did you stop?" Regina asked, clearly disappointed. Emma peered through her lashes, her eyes glazed with tears threatening to spill. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to rid the moisture, but stopped when she felt one roll down her cheek, closely followed by another, and another. She offered a sad smile to the woman standing over her with concern. and Regina took it, putting a hand on Emma's shoulder. She raised a hand to cup her cheek, and Emma held her hand over it, grateful of the comfort. Regina's thumb swiped away at the sadness, and Emma pursed her lips in order to halt the waterworks. She averted her gaze from Regina's eyes over to the papers in front of her, muffling another choked sob with the back of her forearm as she did so. Regina stole a glance at what was making the blonde sad, reading over the lyrics in confusion. Emma noticed. She held out a shaky hand, gesturing to a particular line. 

"I know we won't go far. I can feel it. But as long as we stand our ground, it'll be good enough for him."

Emma muttered the words as Regina read over them. Her voice was strained as she let out another round of tears, using her hand to aggressively wipe away the tears. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself, before she turned to address Regina's concern.

"It was a song I wrote about Henry's father, way back when he was alive. Henry was only a week old. Neal and I had this vision. After I did my time, we settled in Tallahassee. Henry was his world. He died in a car crash. It was in Canada, when we went to go visit Mr. Gold, his dad. We got out at a diner on the way there, he went to fill up the gas while we ordered lunch. Someone was coming down the road, 60 MPH in the wrong lane. Crashed head on into him. He died instantly. We're just lucky we weren't in the car with him."

She drew in another breath, halting another batch of tears and smiling thankfully at Regina's sympathetic gaze. She quickly turned and picked up the sheet of paper on the stand.

"W-What're you doing?" Emma asked, her eyes wide with shock.

"You're not aloud to sing this one again. I've decided. It makes you sad and I hate seeing you like this. So it can go in your filing cabinet in the back room. If you ever want it, it'll be there." Regina disappeared behind a door and returned seconds later empty handed, a small smile on her face. "So how about this next one?"

\-------

"That was amazing" Regina breathed. The blonde had sung through four songs in total, each sounding better than the last.

Emma looked down at her shoes, playing with the ends of her hair to fight off a blush. "Thanks" She muttered, glancing quickly at Regina through the hair that had fallen in her face. 

Regina stepped forward, pulling Emma into another hug. "Hey" She whispered. "You're amazing." She held her mouth close to her ear, her whispers no more than an exhalation to the rest of the world. Emma's small smile told Regina that what she did was right. They stood in the embrace for longer than intended, time slipping from their grasp as they held each other in a comfortable silence, breathing in each others scents. Regina pulled away slightly, exploring Emma's eyes. Shades of green and blue intertwined, swirling around her pupil in a chroma of bright hues. Regina read insecurity and something similar to lust. 

Her mind was racing as she let subconscious take over, pulling Emma by the chin into a sweet kiss. Emma kissed back immediately, their lips working in perfect harmony, bending and twisting around each other. Emma's lips were soft, tasting of apples and strawberry milkshake. Regina pulled away, the smile playing her mouth fading when she caught sight of Emma's scared expression. Her eyes were slightly wider than usual and her lips were parted, presumably in shock. Her breathing became fast, her soft pants into shallow breaths. Regina reassuringly rubbed her arm, but Emma pulled away like the touch burned her. She grabbed her bag and fled from the office, pulling her straps on as she shot from the door. 

Regina slumped in her chair, staring over at the guitar the blonde had left, confusion riddled through her thoughts. She refused to let her eyes well, but she had no control, and her attempt at clearing her vision squeezed out the moisture, the only sound in the room being the rhythmic dropping of her tears on the desk in front of her as they splashed from the end of her chin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
> 
> Once again, I'm not quite sure how different soccer is to football in the UK, so correct me if I made any mistakes please.
> 
> I am aware that this chapter is slightly shorter, but it has quite a bit in it and the angst is strong. Plus I kinda want the next chapter to continue right where I left off, so. Enjoy!

Emma sprinted from the office, her breath hitched in her throat. Once she reached the elevator her tears started to run freely, pouring down her cheeks. She swiped at them angrily, pushing them away and sniffing up, swallowing hard in an attempt to rid the itchiness from her eyes. She took a deep breath as she reached the bottom floor, balling her hands into fists and avoiding the glares as she charged through the foyer, sending the doorman a fleeting apologetic look over her shoulder as she pushed past him, her head low to distract eyes from her bloated face and red puffy cheeks. 

Once she reached her bug she yanked the door open, barely stopping to unlock the car, before jumping in and pressing on the pedal, ending up in a parking lot around the other side of the building. She let her head fall into her hands, blubbering incoherent sounds and words to herself. Her whole body shook, and when she thought she was composed again, another round would come and smack her in the face. Her wails became silent, audible only in her mind as she thought over how she was going to explain her temper tantrum. 

After the good part of an hour, she took a deep breath and stood out of the bug, calming her breathing pattern and rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to reduce the swelling. The confused stares she received as she walked back through the foyer of the building were nothing compared to the babbling questions from Regina when she reached her office.

"What happened? No, I know what happened. Why did I ask that? Are you alright? Of course you're not alright, you ran off, and your eyes tell me you've been crying. " She paused. "Are you angry with me?"

In that moment, her walls were dropped. Her vulnerability was obvious, if her slumped shoulders and sheepish smile were anything to go by. Her eyes were wide in a puppy dog fashion, and her hands were raised ever so slightly, as if she was readying them to defend her against a backlash. Her feet were turned inwards a little, portraying a defence stance, but also how small she felt. She visibly winced when Emma stepped forward with her hand raised, so she decided to come about it differently.

"Regina I-" She sighed. "I'm not angry with you, but-"

Regina relaxed, returning to her original, concerned expression.

"I can't have a relationship right now."

She nodded sheepishly, spinning on her heel and heading to her desk.

"But" Emma continued. "That doesn't mean I can't fool around." She leaned over the desk, connecting their lips into a needy, passionate kiss. It was full of want, each reaching for what they couldn't have; each other. They reveled in the moment, Emma blindly kicking the door shut and moving further over the desk between them, pushing Regina against the wall. Her hands rested beside the brunette, whilst Regina's explored Emma's waist, trailing up and around the small of her back. Emma's breathing was fast and uneven, trying to keep up with Regina's erratic breaths. 

Regina was first to pull away. As she watched Emma's eyes pry open, she noted the lust, the darkness of the jade. A breathless grin painted her face, closely followed by Regina. The only sound in the office was the heavy panting of the pair. It was hot against each others neck, their close proximity dismissed in the moment. 

Regina turned her head to the side, moving from Emma's reach and standing from the office chair. She pushed Emma off when she came closer, busying herself to create herself a distraction. 

"W-what's wrong?" Emma asked, worry obvious in her voice. 

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" She asked, exasperated. Her confusion and frustration was catching up, causing her to raise her voice.

" _That._ " Regina hissed, motioning to Emma without turning to look at her. 

"Regina. What are you on about?"

Regina turned around, her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. "You're doing it right now! You don't get to do that! Stop it!"

Emma sighed, attempting to tame her frustrated anger. "What is it you'd like me to stop?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Stop being so damn irresistible!" She shouted. Her hands were flailing in the air. "I refuse to be played by a _Teenager_." She continued. "You claim you can't have a relationship, which yeah, I understand. Circumstances, right?" Emma nodded. "But just because I want you, doesn't mean you can tease me like that. Don't you _dare_ think, even for a second, that I'm gonna allow myself to be played like a ragdoll. Nuh-uh. You don't get to kiss me if you don't want me in a relationship with you. Thats not fair. That's toying with my feelings. Using me. I'm not having that. Is it gonna kill me that I can't kiss you? Yes. Yes it is. But I'd much rather have that then be 'fooling around' as you put it. Not happening. Sorry, Emma."

She rubbed at her eyes, savagely trying to push away the tears getting ready to spill. Emma ducked her head and sauntered slowly over to Regina, shamefully wrapping her arms around her. Regina settled her chin in the crook of Emma's neck, playing with the ends of her ponytail. Her eyes closed subconsciously, proving she was most comfortable pressed up against Emma's body. She felt the ends of Emma's hair slip through her fingers and the heat fall from her chest.

"I should go. Henry finishes soon."

"Okay, I understand." Regina replied, returning to her desk again.

"You can come if you like? I mean, you don't have to, but were going to the park, and last time you played football with him he loved it."

"Yeah. I-I'd like that." She smiled, grabbing her purse and Emma's guitar before locking up her office. 

\-------

The drive to Henry's school was peaceful, the last 30 minutes forgotten as the duo enjoyed moving through the city, accompanied by the soft murmurs of the radio. Windows open, the bug glided with the wind, the route etched into the blondes mind so easily. Blue skies and fine breezes made the summer air loose its humidity and sit as dry winds. 

As they pulled up into the parking lot of Henry's school, Emma noticed the bursts of black smoke plummeting from the back field and smiled when she remembered it was Henry's last day at school. The smell of hot dogs and burgers floated slowly towards the car. Emma climbed out of the bug and walked around to the passenger side. 

"I'm gonna go get Henry, your choice if you wanna come or not. He's on the back field."

Regina shook her head. "I'll wait here. Don't wanna startle the poor boy." A small smile matched her warm tone, and Emma couldn't help but return it. 

"Okay, well, I won't be a minute then." With a final reassuring look, Emma walked away from the car and headed towards the back of the school. As she rounded the corner, she saw the same thing that happened every year. A small barbeque sat near the back door of the school, with a table full of food and condiments stretching the back wall. On the field, two bounce house's took up most of the room, with jump ropes and hula hoops scattered across the grass. A radio was playing the same station as in the car. Children and teachers crowded the outdoor space, most of them on the bounce house or hovering near the food table. Mary-Margaret spotted Emma and walked over to her, hot dog in hand. 

"Hey Emma! What brings you here so early?" 

"Hey Mary-Margaret. I got off work early, so I thought I'd come see what all the fuss is about."

Mary-Margaret smiled. "Well, it is pretty fun here on the last day of school. All the kids love it."

"I can see that." Emma laughed.

"So" Mary-Margaret started. "Wher-"

Emma heard a familiar scream and shot her head around to see Henry with the biggest smile Emma had ever seen. 

"Henry?" Emma jogged over to him with a confused expression. His mouth hung open in surprise and awe, looking at the radio then at Emma and back again. Before she had time to ask again, Emma's phone started to ring. _Regina._

"Whats up? Did the car explode?" Emma joked.

_"Tune in to radio 4."_ The phone line went dead. Emma turned to the radio, saw it was on the right frequency, and frowned, listening to what was playing. At first she didn't understand. But then she heard it. _Her song._

She matched her expression to Henry's, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. 

Mary-Margaret approached with caution. "What's goin' on Emma? Henry?"

"My song" Emma muttered, still awe struck. Mary-Margaret tilted her head and listened, a smile stretching across her face. 

"This is you?" She asked, her mouth stretching open and her eyes wide. Emma nodded.

"Why is it on radio? It came out less than 12 hours ago."

"Because its amazing." Henry screamed, shocking the two women with his outburst. The song drew to a close, and the presenter started to talk.

_"That was 'untitled' by Emma Swan, on radio 4."_

"Hey, what time is it?" Emma asked Mary-Margaret.

"Two thirty. The bell will be going in a minute."

"Right, kid, shall we go? Regina's in the car. Soccer game?"

Henry nodded and grabbed his mom's hand, waving to his friends and running in front towards the bug.

\-------

The park was packed, children weaving in and out of the trees, families enjoying picnics on the open grass. Henry grabbed hold of both of the women's hands, dragging them along the path in search of "the perfect spot" as Henry had put it. He seemed to find it, because he suddenly took a turn and ran towards an opening in the trees lining the walkway, startling the pair behind him and pulling them forcefully to keep up with him. They quickened their pace, fighting to keep up with the eight year old racing ahead. Stopping abruptly, he spun to face the adults behind him and nodded. 

"This is the place." he finalised, pulling his backpack off of his back and retrieving a ball, holding it steady under his toes as he tossed his bag aside. 

"So what do you say Henry? Me and you against your mom?" Regina sneered playfully. She received an equally daring look, eyes narrowed and a grin playing on Emma's lips. 

"Oh, your on." She replied, a determined darkness in her eyes that Regina couldn't quite describe. 

"Okay, so." Henry pointed to two of the trees at the side of the small clearing. "This is your goal mom. And..." He searched for another two before spotting the seemingly perfect fit and motioning towards them. "This is ours." He looked towards Regina who nodded with finality. 

\---

"Yes!" Henry screamed, as he scored yet another goal. The score was two all, and Emma looked like she was about to give in. She reached into Henry's bag and pulled out his water bottle. She shook out her shoulders after taking a heavy swig of the drink and replaced the bottle.

"Okay." She panted. "Next goal wins, yeah? It's getting hot. Winners get to choose dinner." Henry nodded, but Regina was dumbstruck. That invitation from Henry for dinner back at the restaurant seemed to be coming into play. 

Emma took a few steps backwards behind the ball and braced herself, narrowing her eyes threateningly and stretching out her legs. "Okay." She whispered to herself. "You can do this Emma. Come on." She kicked the ball, sending it flying into the middle of the 'pitch'. Regina claimed it, dribbling it towards Emma's goal. Emma backed up further, guarding the area by stretching out her arms and legs making herself as wide as possible.

She dived when the ball was kicked, but it slipped through her fingertips, making the already gloating pair the winners. They high fived, wide smiles stretching across their faces and Henry's giggles of delight warming Emma's heart once again.

"Nice kick." Emma complimented, and Regina bowed. 

"Are you coming back to our house, Regina? We get to pick dinner, remember?" Henry asked, bouncing by her side. Regina looked up at Emma, searching for approval, and once she saw Emma's nod, she turned to the young boy next to her. 

"I think I might, Henry." His gleeful smile was adorable, and he started to run back to the car. "Thankyou." She turned to Emma.

"For what?" Emma asked. "I should be thanking you. I haven't seen him smile that much in months. He loves you, Regina."

"I know." Regina murmured.

"Hey! Are you guys coming or not!?" Henry shouted, and the two women giggled before jogging to catch up to him.


	6. Chapter 6

As she watched Henry and Regina interact, Emma stood, leaning on the kitchen island, musing over her feelings towards the older brunette, who was suprising Henry by kicking his ass at a video game. It wasn't love. Emma knew that much. She knew what that felt like, and besides, she'd known this woman all of a few weeks. It was impossible to love someone in that amount of time. Care for someone, maybe. Lust? Perhaps, though in that moment she didn't want to jump Regina, she wanted to watch her entertain her kid. The pair had a unique relationship. They had only met a handful of times, and yet they talked and joked just as old friends would. 

"Hey, nerds!" Emma called, giggling as they both looked up at her and turned back to the game in unison. 

"Yeah?" Henry asked half-heartedly, all his attention being used as he tried to kill Regina's character, who looked like she was struggling to keep up. 

"I thought you two were picking what we were having for dinner. Tell me what you want and I'll make it in a bit."

Henry pressed a button on his controller that paused the game, then turned to look at Regina. "Mac and Cheese?" He asked.

"Sure." Regina chuckled at his hopeful eyes.

"Mac and Cheese mom. Please." 

"Sure kid. But it's only 5:30. Give it ten minutes?"

The pair nodded and turned back to their video game, Henry starting to get jumpy and bouncing on the couch in excitement. Emma walked around the back of the settee and put her hands on his shoulders, making him jump, and allowing Regina to get in the final move he had been blocking, effectively killing Henry's character.

Emma held her hand out and Regina slapped it, triumph written all over her face, a stark contrast to Henry's pouty frown. Emma wrapped her arm around his neck, playfully pulling him into her chest and ruffling his hair with her knuckles gently. He tried to pull away and she let him go, smiling as he tried to smother his grin with a frown. "Aw come on kid, lighten up. I'll make brownies?"

His face morphed into that of glee and hopefulness. "Lacey's recipe?"

"Sure, why not. After dinner though, okay?" His nod's small and short between, he looked overly excited. His eyes diverted to Regina, who was quietly observing the exchange with wonder. She thought it was amazing how they clicked so easily. How a simple promise of brownies could make him so excited.

"Best of three?" He asked, lifting his remote in question.

\-------

Dinner passed without question, and Henry was eager for Emma to start on the brownies. "Okay kid, give me a second. Go read your comics. I'll call you when I take them out of the oven."

"Okay!" He ran into his room, closing the door forcefully behind him. Emma pulled a pinni from the cupboard under the sink, tying it around her waist. She returned to the same cupboard, moving aside various pots and pans, finally retrieving the one she wanted. She reached up and blindly put it onto the counter, returning for a jug and a whisk. 

"Can I help?" Regina asked timidly, wringing her hands together.

"Sure!" Emma replied. She appeared from the floor, closing the cupboard door and reaching up into a top cabinet, pushing aside boxes and tins to get to a large mason jar. It was half full of a pale brown grainy powder. 

Once Emma had got all the ingredients out and ready, she opened the jar and scooped out 2 cups, dumping them into a bowl. 

"Hey. Could you measure out 225 grams of butter please hun." She deadpanned, her attention on the milk she was measuring out. Regina did as she was asked, scooping it into the bowl when Emma gave the nod. She also poured in the milk, and set about heating the stove for the fudge. Emma filled a pan with condensed milk, leaving it to boil as she chopped up pieces of fudge and threw them in, before 1/4 of a cup of sugar. "Do you reckon you could make sure that doesn't burn while I mix this in?" She asked, and Regina nodded, mixing the hot mixture until the fudge was melted and the sugar was dissolved.

Once the bowl held a thick, sticky brown liquid, Emma added 2 drops of vanilla essence to the milk on the stove and poured it into the bowl, Regina slowly folding it in. The mixture was then transferred into a previously lined baking tray and slid into the oven. 

Once everything was cleared up, the pair sat on the stools for the breakfast bar, waiting for the egg timer on the counter to ping. "That was so domestic." Emma breathed, the smile on her face forming at the reality of the situation. She had just baked brownies with Regina fucking Mills. 

"It was, and I loved every second of it." Regina smiled, leaning in to kiss Emma. Despite how clear she made it back in the office, she couldn't help herself. Once they pulled away, Emma shuffled on her stool to face Regina.

"I know what I said earlier. And I know what you said."

"Right." Regina egged, encouraging Emma to carry on."

"But, seeing you today, with Henry, and here. I don't know. It made me regret it."

"What're you saying?" Regina asked, a smile forming on her face again.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Regina connected her lips with Emma's, pushing her further into the wall behind her. Emma smiled into the kiss, pushing their forehads together. Her hand tangled into Regina's hair, and Regina's settled on the small of Emma's back. When they pulled away for air, it took a few seconds for them to open their eyes.

"Is that a yes?" Emma asked, her voice hoarse and dry. Regina kissed her again, channeling lust and passion. 

Henry walked into the room, his comic book in hand. When he say the position his mom and her 'friend' were in, he slowly backed into his room, not wishing to be caught watching. He'd bring it up later. 

The egg timer went off and the pair sprung apart. Emma gave Regina a final peck on the lips with a promise to finish what they started later on, before pulling the brownies from the oven and shouting Henry. He ran into the kitchen with a ravenous look in his eye. "Careful kid, they're still hot." Emma reached into the top cupboard, searching for the confectioners sugar. Regina eyed the strip of exposed skin on Emma's back, deciding she would give anything in that moment to run her hands over it. She slid off the stool and walked towards Emma, moving dangerously close to her ear. 

"What're you looking for?" She purred, fighting the urge to press her front against Emma, remembering the presence of the eight year old. 

"Confectioners sugar." Emma mumbled, swallowing thickly and trying to focus on finding the ingredient.

"Here, let me help." Regina opened the cupboard next to the one Emma was in, pushing aside a jar of pickles and smiling when she found the sugar. She pulled it out and placed it on the counter in front of Emma. The blonde mumbled a defeated thanks and retrieved a sieve, handing the pair to Henry to do the honours. 

Once the brownies were cool enough to eat, Emma cut them into squares and transferred them to a plate, placing it on the coffee table in the lounge. The three gathered on the couch, talking animately and munching on brownies. 

Once the clock reached 7:30, Regina sighed and stood up. "I should get going. Thankyou so much for having me."

"Do you want me to drive you to your car? It's still at work, right?" Regina nodded.

"That'd be great, thanks." Henry ran into Regina, wrapping her arms around her waist. 

"Stay?" He asked, his voice full of hope and later, disappointment. 

"I wish I could dear. But I have to work tomorrow. You get the full day with your mom tomorrow though." Regina knelt to his level. "I won't be needing her in the office for a few days, so she's all yours." His pout lifted into wonderment, quickly melting into a giddy expression. 

"You're mom's boss?" He asked, his jaw slightly agar.

"Yup." She smiled. "But at the same time, I'm not. I'm not bossy like most bosses are. I simply help her let others hear her voice."

Henry seemed satisfied with her answer before hugging her again, tucking his head in her chest. "When will I see you again?" He asked. Regina chuckled.

"I don't know dear, but I doubt it'll be too long." He smiled and eventually let go, returning to the couch and flicking the TV to cartoons.

Emma left the apartment and knocked on the door opposite. An older woman answered, dressed in a pastel cardigan and black pants. 

"Hey Granny. Can you do me a massive favor? I promise I'll make it up to you."

Granny tilted her chin up in a way of saying 'carry on'.

"Do you reckon you could watch Henry for ten minutes while I take Regina home? I won't be long. I'll pay you." 

Granny chuckled. "No need. He's no trouble. I'll watch him, sure." 

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Great, thanks Granny." Emma walked back into the apartment. "Come on kid. Granny's gonna watch you for a few minutes, yeah?" Henry nodded and ran across the corridor, hugging the elderly woman and walking inside. "Right." Emma locked the door behind her and Regina, leading towards the bug parked out front. 

\-------

Emma shrugged off the disbelieving stares Regina was sending her throughout the drive to the office building. 

"I can't believe you sometimes."

"What?" She deadpanned, keeping her attention on the road.

"Why the hell didn't you let him ride with us?" 

Regina raised her eyebrows at Emma's tentative smile.

"You haven't told him yet, have you?" 

"I'm gonna. He's touchy for me to find someone, so I'm scared that now I have."

Regina tilted her chin in acknowledgment that her girlfriend was referring to her.

"He won't know what to expect. He hasn't really been exposed to any relationships in the past. I don't know, I don't think he'll take it lightly."

"You think he'll react negatively?" 

"No, of course not. He loves you. That part is obvious." Emma reached over and put her hand over Regina's whilst she was sat at a stop sign, reassuring Regina she was wrong about her question. "But that's the problem."

"I don't understand."

Emma sighed. "Okay, think of it this way. A kid has a toy. They're favourite toy, which they love to bits, only it doesn't belong to them. They only get to play with it for short amounts of time. Now, imagine if someone was to come up to that kid, telling them that something happened. Something meaning they can play with that toy more. But the kid is still wary."

She looked over at Regina to make sure she was still listening.

"They think it's a hoax, something to get their hopes up. But they still love the toy, so they play with it like there's no tomorrow every time they can. They start to expect people to extend their time with this toy more frequently. But what if the toy owners aren't quite ready for that step yet. So the kid has got his hopes up for nothing. Now, what if something happens. The toy gets broken. Or stolen. Or something happens to the toy owners and they refuse to let the kid play with it. They're gonna be heart broken. Crushed. And the kid blames himself for his heart break. Claiming he got too attached to the toy. That it wasn't his toy to get attached to. The owners try to assure him that it wasn't, but once his heart is set on something, it's not easy to pull out of. Do you get it?"

Regina nodded. "I'm the toy, Henry's the kid, our relationship is the toy owners. I get it."

"Hypothetically." Emma corrected. "But yeah. Thats the best way I could think to describe it other then "He gets attatched and expects things were not ready for and gets his hopes up then gets disappointed and blames himself for his misery, claiming he go too attached. It makes him distant for months."

Regina nodded her understanding. "Next left" She said.

"I know where I'm going, Regina." Emma hissed. 

"Sorry, habit." Regina shrugged, and Emma took the left, pulling into the parking lot, empty bar a few late workers and Regina's Mercedes Benz, sitting with pride in the corner of the grounds. Emma pulled up in the spot next to it. 

She followed Regina out of the car, leaning against her passenger car door as Regina steadied herself against her driver's side.

"I'm gonna tell him when I get home, and damn the consequences. He deserves to know." Emma promised, earning her a toothy grin.

Regina stepped closer, kissing Emma sweetly, tentatively, but with meaning. It held both Thankyou and Goodbye, awkward like a first date but meaningful like long lost lovers. Regina pulled away, sliding into her car. 

"Thursday, usual time?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded.

"Goodnight, Emma." Regina smiled.

"Goodnight." Emma leaned through Regina's open window, pecking Regina's lips goodbye and turning to her own car. 

\-------

"Thanks Granny." Emma smiled, before shouting after Henry to stop running, jogging herself to keep up with him as he sprinted across the corridoor into his apartment. 

Emma closed the door behind her with one final grateful smile to Granny, who waved slightly in return.

"Hey, kid, come sit on the couch. I wanna talk to you about something." 

He approached slowly, an uncertain look on his face.

Once he was sat down, Emma began the 'speech' she had prepared in her head on the drive back. "Look, kid, I know you like Regina."

"So do you." Henry deadpanned.

"Yeah, but tha-"

"I knew it." Henry gasped.

Emma looked shocked, then confused, then shocked again. "What?"

"Earlier on. I saw you kissing her. Are you gonna ask her to be your girlfriend?"

"I already did." Emma stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Henry squealed.

"Look, kid, I don't want you to get your hopes up, okay? Whatever me and Regina have, it's nothing serious at the moment. Okay?" 

Henry nodded, his smile refusing to falter. 

"I mean it. No talk of her moving in, or siblings, or marriage, or anything along those lines. Okay? Don't even think of those things. Just be happy I landed a relationship with the hottest girl in the city first, okay?"

Henry nodded reluctantly. Emma put her hand on his thigh. "Anyway, speaking of Regina, I'm not needed till Thursday, so what do you want to do tomorrow?"


End file.
